Organisational Climate and Performance: A Case Study of Nigerian High Growth SMEs

There have been extensive explorations of organisational climate (OC) and performance in large organisational contexts but predominantly in western economies. Despite the rich and growing body of literature on the topic, there is considerable lacuna in the understanding of how the composites of organisational climate factors coalesce into business enablement and performance outcomes especially in economically resurgent African economies of which Nigeria is one. More fundamentally, the dimension of High Growth Small and Medium Enterprises (HGSMEs) exemplify the dearth of knowledge of the intricate role of OC in reconfiguring strategic positioning and performance of organisations, especially the genre of SMEs attributed as the main driver of economic growth. Against this backcloth, this study explores the dynamic interaction between OC and HGSME performance in Nigeria with a view to providing situated understandings of how organisational performance is moderated by variabilities of OC. This relationship is investigated empirically using as conceptual prisms four principal constructs distilled from the extant literature; leadership, organisational strategy, HRM practices and entrepreneurial orientation. Methodologically, a triangulation procedure was applied in order to afford both rich-context and scaled datasets. From a sample of HGSME drawn from the national database maintained by Small Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the mixed method approach used encompassed data gathered through (a) in-depth interviews conducted with senior executives of sample organisations and (b) survey questionnaires administered to 300 employees within two Nigerian HGSMEs. Qualitative data was analysed through thematic analysis. The quantitative data treatment rigour was achieved through descriptive statistics; correlation and multivariate regression analysis. OC was measured at the firm level using the validated instrument (Organisational Climate Measurement instrument, OCM, Patterson et al., 2005), while the organisational performance was measured subjectively using efficiency and quality as performance proxies. Results show direct effects of organisational factors (leadership, strategy, HR practices and entrepreneurial orientation) on organisational climate configuration. The relationship between organisational climate and performance is significantly positive while the direct effect of some HR practices on organisational outcomes such as efficiency (training vs. efficiency, employee involvement vs. efficiency) was negative. The results are robust in indentifying the nature of internal organisational systems and networks that triggers growth and sustainability of HGSMEs

Modern-Day Slavery? The Work-Life Conflict of Domestic Workers in Nigeria

Purpose – The trend of domestic employment thrives almost in every society. It is most common in developing countries, and Nigeria is no exception. This article examines the nature of the role of a domestic worker in Nigeria and the work-life conflict issues involved in such work. Design/Methodology/Approach – This study uses a qualitative research approach to examine the nature of the role of domestic workers and the associated work-life conflict issues. Findings – The findings show that the nature of the jobs of domestic workers in Nigeria gives rise to a situation of modern-day slavery in which an employee works without a formal employment contract, with little or no rights to private time. Long and unstructured working hours, employers’ perceptions about domestic workers, and an enormous workload fuel and exacerbate work-life conflict among domestic workers in Nigeria. Research Limitations/Implications – The extent to which the findings of this research can be generalised is constrained by the limited and selected sample of the research and the research context. Practical Implications – The primacy of the employer over the employee in domestic employment means that both time and work-based conflicts continue to buffer work-life conflict if domestic workers’ working hours remain unscheduled and their employers’ perceptions about them remain unchanged. This invariably has a negative impact on the domestic workers’ health and productivity. Therefore, domestic employment should be regulated by law, and domestic workers should be treated like other formal employees. Originality/Value – This research contributes to the debates on work-life conflict by highlighting the nature of the role of domestic workers in a non-western context, Nigeria, and provides a nuanced insight into the work-life conflict issues involved in such work. The findings add conceptual thought and empirical evidence to the debate on work-life conflict

Implementation of Server Virtualization Technology: The Human Resource capacity factors to consider.

Virtualization is gradually losing its image as a new, highly advanced technology and it is becoming a mainstream data management technique. Indeed, two-thirds of all organizations (whether IT is their core business or not) are implementing virtualization in live production and even for core applications. Thus, virtualization is no longer considered to be a risky or unreliable technology. The findings and recommendations of this study will be useful to IT managers and other IS policy makers in organizations intending to implement server virtualization. The results of this study identify key factors that will influence the success or failure of server virtualization in their organisations. As such they will be in a position to understand the server virtualization process and avoid the pitfalls that may face them. The study employed a correlational survey research design and targeted the chief information technology officers, information communication technology managers, Management information systems managers and other managers involved in policy making decisions on computing systems in the listed companies on the NSE. The target population consisted of 360 persons, and the sample size was 25% of the population, namely 89 persons. Primary data were collected in completing this study. Primary data is collected using a questionnaire. Descriptive and content analysis techniques were employed on the collected data. Quantitative data analysis was done by descriptive statistics by use of SPSS version 20.0 to obtain percentages, tabulations, means and other measures of central tendency. The analysis indicates that 97.5% of the respondents indicated that server consolidation minimizes wasted capacity. The study found out that 82% of corresponding change in the implementation of server virtualization technology induced human  resource capacity factors.  Test of overall significance ANOVA, at 0.05 level of significance and found the  model to be significant. The study recommends that organizations should develop proper infrastructure in order to keep up with the demands of the constantly evolving virtualized environment that runs their servers. Keywords: Technology, Server, Virtualization, Resourc

Server Virtualization Technology: A proposed Implementation Model

The study sought to fill the existing gap on issues surrounding the implementation of Server virtualization technology, which have received relatively little attention.. The study investigated the implementation of server virtualization technology by companies listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange. It employed a correlational research design and targeted the IT and Operations departments of listed companies on the NSE. The target population consisted of 120 persons, and the study used a census method. Primary data was collected through use of questionnaires. Data collected was sorted, coded and input into the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 for production of graphs, tables, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Correlation analysis revealed that environmental factors, technological factors, organizational factors and human factors had a positive and significant association with server virtualization implementation. DOI: 10.7176/IKM/9-4-01 Publication date: April 30th 201

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A METALLIC BIO-DIGESTER FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BIOGAS FROM COW DUNG

Biogas production has contributed greatly as an alternative source of fuel power to solving various developing nations’ problems including high dependency on petroleum products. This gives a clear objective why its production is seriously needed, as it plays a significant role in destroying and converting municipal and agricultural wastes into a useful fuel which can be used in homes and on farms for lighting, heating and moving equipment by supplying the fuel power needed This work focused on design and construction of a metallic bio digester for the production of biogas. Cow dung was mixed with water in ratio 1:2 of particulate mass. The experiment was carried out in a metallic digester under mesophilic temperature. The average retention time for the experiment was 30days. The average internal temperature of the biogas digester was 32.3oC. The total volume of biogas produced was 5.208 m3. The concentrations of methane and carbon dioxide in the biogas produced were found to be 59% and 40% respectively. The developed metallic bio-digester has been found to be appropriate for the production of biogas from cow dung at mesophilic temperature

Quantification and Removal of Trichloromethane in Chlorinated Water Using Coconut Shell Activated Carbon

Commercially, available activated carbon (CAC) and coconut shell activated carbon (CSAC) were used in the adsorption of Trichloromethane (TCM) from disinfected water using the optimum conditions (concentration, dosage, pH and time) obtained. Concentrations of TCM were determined using GC-MS. Physicochemical parameters of CSAC were investigated. The CSAC gave percentage carbon yield (86.72±1.41), surface area 1200 m2/g and CHNS/O Elemental Analyzer gave elemental Carbon of 60.08% as the highest of the elements in the char. A pore structure dispersed on the CSAC surface was observed. Best conditions for CSAC were: 1.4 × 104μg/l TCM, 5.0 pH, 0.8 g absorbent within 30 minutes. The data fitted Freundlich than Langmuir model (R2 of 0.9977 and 0.9232, respectively). Percentage removal of TCM for CAC and CSAC was 98.3±1.55 and 96.7±1.27, respectively for the water sample. Results indicated that CSAC was efficient for removal of TCM present in water and could be used as alternative for CAC in water treatment

Heat Transfer in Boundary Layer Magneto-Micropolar Fluids with Temperature-Dependent Material Properties over a Stretching Sheet

The process of heat transfer in boundary layer magneto-micropolar fluid with temperature-dependent material properties past a flat stretching sheet in a porous medium is investigated in this study. Two distinct cases of boundary heating conditions are analyzed for the heat transfer in this work, viz., prescribed surface temperature (PST) and prescribed heat flux (PHF). With the aid of similarity conversion analysis, the formulated equations of the flow and heat transfer have been translated into a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Subsequently, Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg integration scheme in company of shooting techniques employed to obtain numerical solutions to the reduced equations. The findings are graphically illustrated and discussed in view of the two cases of boundary heating, while the results for the physical quantities of engineering concern are tabulated for various controlling parameters. In the limiting situations, the results generated are compared favourably with the earlier reported data in the literature, while the numerical solutions demonstrate a reduction in the rate of heat transfer Nux⋆ and the viscous drag Cf⋆ for both PST and PHF conditions with growth in the magnitude of material parameter K

Undergraduates Perspectives on Sex Education and Teenage Pregnancy in Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria

This study examines undergraduates’ perspective on sex education and teenage pregnancy in Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. The study population was 250 undergraduates of Covenant University. Frequency tables, linear regression analysis and analysis of variance were used to analyze the data collected via self-administered questionnaires. Two hypotheses were tested in this study. The results derived from this study are: firstly, that the level of awareness on sex education is significantly related to teenage pregnancy. . Secondly, the t statistics at p=0.000 shows that there is a high significant relationship between the use of contraceptive and teenage pregnancy. Also, the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated that at p= 0.000, there is a high significant relationship between sex education and teenage pregnancy. Thus, the paper recommends the following: Firstly, that there should be, as a matter of urgency, the establishment of functional youth-friendly services that will enable teenagers to express their opinions on sexual activity. Secondly, teenagers should be exposed to basic sex education in both primary and secondary schools so that contraceptive methods and their usage will not be strange to them. Thirdly, training of teenagers by healthcare service providers should be made available to the teenagers so that they would be able to open up on matters relating to their sexual life.Key Words: Undergraduates, Sex education, Teenage pregnancy and Perspective

On the dissipation layer of radial bearings

The dissipation boundary layer of certain radial bearings is identified. It is shown that, under certain conditions, the temperature outside this layer is constant